Matt Miller: Eventful 2016 gives way to new adventures in 2017

Not many of us will miss 2016, with that wacky presidential election now in our rearview mirror and a sad parade of famed deaths (Prince, David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, now Carrie Fisher and so many more). The only ones that enjoyed ’16 were those disenfranchised with D.C. politics who put Donald Trump at the helm, or those finally celebrating sports championships in Cleveland and Chicago.

It was eventful here at The Reporter where we moved ... twice. We spent 23 years at our Cotting Lane location before heading back downtown to 401 Davis St., Suite F. It is indeed sweet to be in our second floor location overlooking Mason Street. It did take some time to build and we took up temporary residence downstairs from our current digs.

The election year kept us busy in between packing boxes. Many retained their political seats like Solano County Supervisor Skip Thomson, Vacaville City Councilmen Dilenna Harris and Ron Rowlett, Assemblyman Jim Frazier and Congressman John Garamendi.

Change came when Winters mayor Cecila Aguiar-Curry joined the Assembly and former Assemblyman and Napa supervisor Bill Dodd moved into the State Senate. Dixon had a political shift of sorts when Thom Bogue won the mayor’s race over Jack Batchelor and young up-and-comer Devon Minnema grabbed a seat on the council. Here’s hoping the new and old join forces to bring stability to our region and cities.

One of the big questions for may politicians in 2017 is what we do with this marijuana freedom that electors passed in November. It’s new fertile ground to be explored with caution.

Of course, the decision to move forward with Lagoon Valley development was a hot button issue. The Vacaville City Council did approve in April an addendum to the 2004 environmental impact report for the Lower Lagoon Valley Development, and then a 12-year phasing plan that established a timeline for this project.

Development on 868 acres south of the lake would include 1,025 housing units on 323 acres, an 18-hole golf course, 458 acres of open space and recreational uses, a business village and town center on 60 acres and 23 acres of public uses and roadways including a fire station site.

Much of the open space would remain intact, but the council’s decision was met with concerns by residents who want the valley to remain open. Dissenters continued to argue the project would impact wildlife, traffic on Interstate 80 and some cited the Green Tree closure, saying building another golf course closer to Rancho Solano and Paradise Valley didn’t make sense.

It was also sad to see Green Tree Golf Course shut down. After 55 years of operation, the Syar family announced in February that the course would permanently close. Residents of Leisure Town were concerned for their home values and organized to voice their concerns. Others of us simply enjoyed playing a leisurely round of golf close to home.

Advertisement

A series of planning meetings open to the community were held in May. Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company revealed potential design plans for a new neighborhood north of Sequoia Drive at the Green Tree site at the last of these planning sessions in May, though no rezoning or development has been approved yet by the city.

We had fun following the exploits on the baseball diamond of the Vacaville Central Little League all-stars. They assembled for a spectacular summer run to San Bernardino for the West Regions that brought them only one tournament away of the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The other big story on the local sports scene was the state track and field championship won by Vacaville High School’s Jurnee Woodward in the 300-meter hurdles. She topped the field and became the first VHS female ever to win a state title and the first Bulldog since Darren Stringer took the 100 meters in 1988.

What lies ahead in 2017, we will learn in the next 364 days. The Reporter will continue to be there chronicling each event from its new perch at the corner of Davis and Mason streets.

The author is managing editor of The Reporter. His email address is mmiller@thereporter.com.